Making the Right Choices: CABE / CAPSS Convention

by Lynn K. McMullin

The Friday blog was posted on Friday evening this week so that I could share some of our enthusiasm for today’s convention hosted jointly by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. It’s held annually and features speakers, exhibits, vendors, and a variety of workshops. This year Canton won first place awards for both the district webpage and the “Brick-by-Brick Report,” but that’s not why we were there. The convention offers an expedient way to get new ideas and resources to bring back to Canton.

This morning’s keynote speaker was inspirational; Salome Thomas-El is the author of two books and his story will be the subject of an upcoming movie with Will Smith. Thomas-El spoke of the difference a community of teachers and parents have made in Vaux Middle School in Philadelphia where learning to play chess has changed the lives of hundreds of students. His students have won world recognition as eight-time National Chess Champions. They accomplished this feat despite growing up in a world where “people everywhere waited in the wings to kill the dream.”  Thomas-El said ‘the Hollywood message’ tends to turn school success movies into stories of the lone hero teacher who rides in to save the day. That’s not how it really works; and he has negotiated for 11 months to secure the thematic concept that it takes twenty to thirty committed individuals, all with the same vision and belief, all working tirelessly, for lasting change to happen.

Canton's Board of Education members Leslee Hill, Beth Kandrysawtz, Sue Saidel, and newly-elected Mark Lange attended the convention along with Superintendent Kevin Case and me. After the keynote, we divided up the many workshops among us, so that we would come away with as much information as possible. In the morning we covered “Navigating Connecticut’s Freedom of Information,” “What it Will Take for Connecticut’s Students to be Prepared for the 21st Century,” “Trends,” Legal and Legislative Issues,” “Policy Implications of Recent Legislation,” and “Negotiations.” During the afternoon session we covered workshops in the common mistakes superintendents and boards make, communications, tapping parent leadership, restructuring schools to control costs, and quality education in difficult times. The evening’s keynote speaker provided a humorous, but eye-opening look at “the modern student’s technology.” Did you know voice mail and email are already “so three weeks ago!”?

I can’t predict right now the impact of this year’s convention because we haven’t had a chance to ‘debrief,’ but I can tell you we listened, took notes, asked questions, collected resources, and networked.  This blog is the result of last year’s convention at which Dr. David Title, Bloomfield’s Superintendent, urged the use of a weekly blog as an open communication tool.  This year, coincidentally, Dr. Title was named Connecticut's "Superintendent of the Year."  In the past, the convention has given us policy revision and negotiation ideas, newsletter and communications formats, and appreciations for the do’s and don’ts that translate into effective practices. When school leaders work together and share information about what works, it keeps us all from reinventing the wheel.

How to Make the Most of a Parent Conference

Every two weeks, I meet with our newly-hired teachers and discuss Canton’s philosophy and approach to various facets of teaching. Last week’s topic was “Conducting Effective Parent Conferences;” and we talked about welcoming parents and clearly communicating students' progress and expectations. While it is very important for teachers to know how to structure a conference, it’s also important for parents to know how to maximize that limited time as well.

Who should attend conferences?
Definitely attend conferences if your child is struggling academically or socially!  Definitely attend if your child is doing very well!  Every parent has a right to schedule a conference, to be treated with respect, and to be given a current progress report, clear goal statements, and suggestions for working together as partners in their student’s best interests. You should never feel like you don’t belong or are taking up the teacher’s time. If your schedule does not permit attending conferences, or if you have too many conferences to squeeze them all in, call and ask for alternatives.


Why should parents attend?
Maybe you’re asking yourself why you should attend for the umpteenth time and what you're supposed to say or ask during a parent teacher conference. After all, you’ve got a progress report; you’ve seen papers come home; you have, or will receive, a report card. What’s left? Face to face communication can be much more effective than a number or letter on a report card. You can learn so much about the teacher’s expectations and your child’s progress when you and the teacher review a few of those papers together. Facial expressions and body language can also help you and the teacher better understand each other’s attitudes and perceptions.

The art of the elementary school conference:
1. Ask how your child is doing overall in the classroom. Is your son or daughter behind, ahead, or on target academically and socially? Is your child happy in the classroom?
2. Ask to review some specific information about your child’s work in comparison to a benchmark. The teacher should be able to show you what the grade-level expectations are for writing, for example, or what a sample math problem or open-ended task looks like. The teacher should be able to tell you and demonstrate your child’s reading level.  Together, you should compare your child’s papers or written work to a benchmark or standard. Some teachers can also provide rubrics which describe what they are assessing.
3. Wherever your child is on the spectrum, ask what the teacher’s goals are for your child, when your child might reach those goals, and how your child is going to get there.
4. Ask about your child’s personal performance. Is your child working hard? To his or her full potential? Does your child enjoy the academic work?  Share what you observe during homework time. Share any strategies that motivate your child … or circumstances that shut him/her down.
5. Ask about your child’s social growth. Does your child get along with others? Is your child friendly and respectful towards others? Does your child handle frustration, disappointment, guilt, or anger appropriately? Is your child accepted by others?
6. Both the teacher and parents must try to give vague observations a clearer context. If you can’t picture your child in a particular scenario, say, “Tell me more about that.” Ask the teacher to describe a particular time, place, and situation. Provide the same specifics for the teacher, when necessary. The goal is to determine ‘what works.’
7. Ask the teacher about your child’s good qualities and strengths. How can you, together, as a team, capitalize on those qualities and strengths?
8. Ask the teacher for suggestions about what you can do at home to support what the teacher is doing in school. There are specific ways parents can help children develop number sense, engage in critical thinking, read and follow multi-step directions, or make connections between stories (or even movies) and their own lives.
9. Ask what’s coming next. What’s the next unit in math or science? The next skill in reading?
10. If necessary, plan a follow-up conversation. Sometimes the teacher needs to think through a question or research new information. In that case, the teacher will need to get back to you. Sometimes, you’ll agree to try new strategies at home or in school and a follow-up will be necessary to evaluate the strategy.

Middle school and high school conferences are much tougher. Because teachers must see 40 or more parents in three days, secondary school conferences are considerably shorter. As a result, specific details about the student (rather than generic observations) and the facial expression and body language from both parties become the key communication devices. There IS time to be friendly; but there’s no time to chat about older siblings who went off to college, where the student is currently working, or the outcome of a recent sport or music event.
The art of the 8-minute conference:
1. Ask how your child is doing overall in the subject. Is your son or daughter behind, ahead, or on target academically for that course? Is your child engaged, interested, and involved in the classroom?
2. Bring the last progress report with you and ask the teacher about any patterns you’ve observed. For example, your student might be struggling with homework or tests and quizzes. Ask the teacher for strategies which can strengthen weak areas. Ask for content-specific studying tips, such as flash cards or out-loud practice in front of a mirror. If you don’t know the amount of homework time expected each night, ask.
3. Ask to see your child’s work in comparison to a benchmark. The teacher should be able to show you what the grade-level expectations are for some elements of the content area -- a sample of a lab report, a one-page essay, or a test question response, for example. The teacher should be able to define the work qualities being assessed, such as labeling, showing all steps in a process, using complete sentences, or providing specific examples. Some teachers can provide rubrics which describe what they are assessing.
4. If necessary, plan a follow-up meeting or phone call, especially when a parent-teacher collaboration is required for the student to improve.

Conferences are November 17th, 18th, and 19th. Early release days are scheduled to accommodate the greatest number of parents.

Veterans Day in our Schools

by Lynn K. McMullin

Our school-based commemoration of our local veterans is now a decade-long tradition, and each year our celebrations become more meaningful.  In 2005, the Board of Education made the conscious decision that Canton would hold school on Veteran’s Day, rather than taking the day off. Board members, administrators, and teachers recognized that lessons about patriotism and what it means to serve your country would mean more if the kids were in school rather than at the mall or watching television.

However, some of our students had begun recognizing veterans five years earlier through efforts such as Veterans Voices and the Veteran’s Day Breakfast. Veterans Voices was a research and writing project in which high school students interviewed a local veteran, wrote a transcript of the interview, and then crafted a historical-fiction story especially for the veteran. The stories were read and presented during a special evening event. The interviews, stories, and pictures from this project can be found on our webpage near the bottom of the left menu, under “Canton.” By clicking this link, you can read the stories told by 50 local veterans. Sadly, some of these celebrated veterans are no longer with us. We’ve lost, for example, WWII veteran Sam Humphrey, who worked with two of our Canton students over the years; Robert Gillespie, who trained pilots during WWII, and my own father, Robert Ellershaw, a Navy electrician, who had never before spoken about the war.

Shortly after participating in Veterans Voices, two high school students Abby Daley and Sarah Miner, with the assistance of then-Assistant Principal Jordan Grossman, held the first Vetrean's Day Breakfast on a Saturday morning in early November 2000. Even the organizers of this event were amazed by the large turnout and the warmth and appreciation coming from the veterans they were trying to appreciate.

Now, that spirit, which bridged two generations, lives on in new projects. For the past four years, the Middle School students have reached out to men and women currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The students go to a website called www.anysoldier.com, where they can read about the needs of a wide range of military groups. There a representative of the group tells viewers who they are and what they need. The vast majority of our servicemen and women ask for Chapstick, suntan lotion, throat lozenges, personal hygiene items, socks, reading material, snacks – the things we take for granted in our everyday lives. They also want Beanie Babies, which they keep in their pockets and give to children they meet. Mostly, however, they want mail from people at home. If your family would like to help, visit the website and click on the “Tango Mike” video to get started.

This year, the high school’s video production class was inspired to write and produce a video honors veterans called “Why Veteran’s Day.” The video will be featured at the high school assembly at 9:15 on the 11th. All three PTO’s are volunteering breakfast or lunch for our guests and their families, and the schools’ bands and choruses are learning songs of tribute. It is a heart-tugging sight to hear the Middle School band playing each of the service anthems one-by-one and the veterans in the audience standing when they hear the theme of their branch.

Each school celebrates Veteran’s Day in its own age-appropriate way. The ceremonies are detailed below. Feel free to join us.

Cherry Brook Primary School

The PTO will host a luncheon from 1:15 – 2:00 p.m. for veterans and their guests. Lunch will be followed by a half-hour assembly in the gym in which students will sing songs and read poems. Then, from 2:30 – 3:15, the veterans will visit the classrooms of the children who invited them, where they can choose between reading a specially selected book provided by the teacher… or, telling a story of their own choice. Currently, fifteen veterans are expected, but any interested veteran is welcome. If you would like to participate at CBPS, please call Tina McCarthy at 693-7721.

Canton Intermediate School

The students and staff at Canton Intermediate School are looking forward to welcoming and honoring local veterans at the annual Veterans Day Celebration from 8:00 – 10:50 a.m. Before the event, students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 will have discussed what it means to be a veteran, why we celebrate Veterans’ Day, and why it is important for us to honor our veterans each year. Students have invited family members and friends who have served in the armed forces to participate in the celebration. Special vocal and instrumental music is being prepared, and some students will read speeches they have written for the occasion. In addition, the PTO is planning a breakfast reception for veterans, families, and student ambassadors. Veterans who would like to participate may sign up by calling the CIS office at 693-7717 by Monday, November 9.

Canton Middle School

The event will begin at 8:00 a.m. with an hour-long assembly of music and speakers. Two students are scheduled to speak about the history of Veterans Day and service to country, and both the band and the chorus have prepared patriotic and commemorative pieces for the assembly. Veterans may also speak to the whole assembly when they are introduced. On the stage, the boxes of supplies being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan will be displayed. Each advisory sponsored a group from anysoldier.com and tried to meet the needs of that group. A PTO breakfast will follow immediately, and then veterans are invited to attend any of the classrooms to speak and answer questions. Please call Nan Bartlett at 693-7712, if you would like to join the festivities

Canton High School

The Canton High School will hold a full assembly beginning at 9:15 a.m. in the auditorium. The assembly will begin with the pledge and a moment of silence. The student choral group, the B Sharps, will perform; and students will get their first glimpse of the video production class’s video titled “Why Veteran’s Day?”

Veterans will then be invited to attend specific social studies classes, such as World in Transition, U.S. History, or Government classes. Veterans are asked to call the school at 693-7707 if they would like to participate.